Ninney Rise
- Ninny Rise locality map (PDF, 123K)*
Background
Ninney Rise house. Photo courtesy of David Morgans.
Ninney Rise is a freehold property owned by DERM/QPWS as a result of a generous bequeathment from Mrs Kate Eisig Tode. The 1.98 hectare property is adjacent to a section of Clump Mountain National Park at Bingil Bay, near Mission Beach in north Queensland.
The Mission Beach area is one of great scenic beauty and a paradise for holiday makers. White sandy beaches frame the coastline and magnificent tropical rainforest is protected within several national parks which are part of the Wet Tropics World Heritage Area. These are home to a myriad of plants and animals including Australia’s largest rainforest bird, the endangered southern cassowary. The Great Barrier Reef, along with Dunk and Bedarra islands are but a few kilometres offshore.
The house at Ninney Rise was built by previous owners, John and Allison Busst and is a rare Queensland example of the Montsalvat owner-builder movement. The Bussts used local materials to build the house and incorporated many unique design features such as using exotic bamboo for ceilings and architraves. During their ownership of the property, the Bussts were actively involved in local conservation issues. The house was used as a base during the very political ‘Save the Reef’ campaign of the late 1960s – early 1970s which, after a Royal Commission into mining on the reef, resulted in creating the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park, its management authority and the legislation to protect it in 1975.
After taking ownership of the property in 1979, Mrs Tode built a sympathetic two-storey addition to the house using local black penda as a timber feature throughout.
Site details and tourism opportunity
Landscaped gardens at Ninney Rise. Photo courtesy of David Morgans.
The site consists of a house and pool set in tropical lowland forest, with garden clearings and views to the Coral Sea from several places on the property.
Tourism opportunities at the Ninney Rise site could include re-using the existing dwelling, establishing eco-friendly tourist accommodation in accordance with the Sustainability Guidelines, using the existing garden beds to create a landscaped setting and interpreting the fascinating natural and cultural heritage of the area to visitors.
The Ninney Rise site was offered to the market via a competitive Expression of Interest process which closed on 11 June 2010.
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Last updated 7 March 2011